Barnes to chair special Missouri House committee

Barnes to chair special Missouri House committee

Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley on Wednesday named state Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, as chairman of a special "Interim Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability."

A news release said the committee is charged with investigating waste, fraud and abuse in state government. It will start with the state's involvement with Mamtek, a company which promised to create jobs in Moberly but, so far, has failed to complete construction or start operations.

The state Senate has a similar committee, which began meeting earlier this month.

Barnes, an attorney, pledged a thorough investigation.

"The people of Missouri deserve answers," he said in a news release. "The committee will conduct a thorough review of the Department of Economic Development's role in Mamtek, to determine whether mistakes were made, and if so, how state government can avoid similar mistakes in the future."